How to turn your side hustle into a full-time job
is there really a right time to do it?
When is it the right time to leave your job and become a full-time social-first content creator?
You’ve seen your favourite social stars leave traditional employment behind over the years and adapt seemingly perfectly into working for themselves and creating a life you’ve often dreamed of (though we know it’s never as easy as it looks).
No more answering to ‘the man’. No more sitting in an office and having to be at work on the dot of 9AM. No more commuting long hours and doing a job that is okay, but that doesn’t fulfil you in the same way content creation does.
Going full-time as a content creator is undoubtedly appealing and we can see why. It is, however, important that you do your research beforehand and that it’s the right step to take – at the right time.
Many people don’t have a trust fund to fall back on if it doesn’t work out, and a lot of people have bills to pay and mouths to feed (whether it’s simply their own or entire families).
We know that it can be incredibly scary leaving a company that offers sick pay, holiday pay, benefits and more to work for yourself – but it can be incredibly rewarding too.
Here, we share with you a few tips on how to turn your side-hustle into a full-time job and become a professional content creator:
Consistency is key
It’s important to make sure there is consistency with your content. Keep a schedule, organise and plan content in advance. Equally, you should ensure that you can react to things quickly and adapt if something changes.
If you know that you post a certain type of content on Monday and Tuesday, but a new TikTok dance goes viral over the weekend and you want to get involved and jump on the trend, then it might be more important to leave the content calendar behind and film something new.
Your followers will come to know what they expect from you and a loyal fanbase will know the time you post, when you’re posting what, and when to come to you for expert knowledge on a particular subject.
If you’re wanting to become a full-time creator then you know that with it comes an expectation to plan, be able to consistently come up with new ideas and have the ability and enthusiasm to create regularly.
What you set your mind to will become a reality with the right attitude.
Go to events and network
Whether it’s virtually or in person, going to events and networking is key to creating new contacts.
Having a network of creators, agency, brand and PR contacts will help you get more opportunities.
Though you may be highly skilled in creating compelling content, there are people with other skills and areas of expertise that will be able to help open up other doors elsewhere.
A Talent Manager will help ease your workload by focusing on administration and brand deals, and will free up your time to spend longer on idea creation and content, whilst other creators you meet at events might help spark new ideas and provide collaborative opportunities.
Always evaluate whether there’s a space for you online
Building an online audience will be key to any business success, so how can you drive real value and not replicate others in what could be an already crowded space?
Social media is saturated with influencers. There are an endless amount of fashion creators, lifestyle bloggers and cooking enthusiasts.
What makes a content creator successful is that they offer something different to everybody else out there.
When weighing up whether to go full-time, ensure that you are creating something that nobody else can and already does.
It doesn’t have to be overly out-there and over-the-top, it just needs to be authentic and innovative.
Knowing the right time
It can be easy to jump the gun and want to quit your job and go full-time early on but it’s important that you do it when you’re really ready. That’s something only you will know.
There might never be a completely right time and if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that we sometimes can’t plan for the future and that we never know what’s really around the corner.
Chef and creator @at_dads_table says: “My advice is it’s never the perfect time to do it, but if it’s your passion, you’ve done your research and there’s a market for you, just go for it or someone else will!”
Disclaimer
Until your side hustle can confidently replace your employment income, don’t quit the day job.
Clothing, art and homeware creator @laurieleestudio says: “The disclaimer is so important! I see so many people offering up ‘screw it just do it advice’ on here and it’s a bit naive.
“Success doesn’t arrive overnight. And bills don’t wait for your success to arrive.”